In recent years, consumer demand for a lighter load and
smaller products has inspired many companies to merge two products into one.
You can now have a camera in your cell phone, a GPS tracker in your PDA, and an
MP3 player in your…sunglasses? Yes, Oakley recently revealed a new
product called Thump, which integrates an MP3 player into a pair of the
company's sports-style shades--perhaps a better name would have been EyeTunes.
Compatible with both PCs and Macs, the Thump will debut this holiday season in 128MB
($400) and 256MB ($500) versions.
Upside: Despite all of the extra components required to turn
an ordinary pair of sunglasses into a music-bumping device, Oakley's Thump
appears sleek and streamlined, with not a single wire to worry about--great for
runners and bikers. The compact earbuds are actually connected to the frame,
and thanks to a swiveling, adjustable arm, they can be flipped up to allow you
to talk to someone without music blasting in your ears. Unlike TDK's Mojo 1
headphone-style MP3 player, which also eliminates cords, Oakley's Thump serves
another purpose: stylishly protecting your eyes from the glare of the sun.
Downside: If you tend to lose sunglasses, this probably
isn't the product for you--the 256MB Thump will set you back a wallet-wrenching
$495. For that much dough, we'd also like a few more style options.
Outlook: We definitely appreciate a device that helps
eliminate wires, but we're not convinced many people are going to run out and
drop almost $500 on an MP3 player, even if it comes in a slick-looking pair of
sunglasses. Hopefully, Oakley will drop the price in time for the holiday rush.
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